In any home or business where security is a concern, it is important that the windows of the home or business be equipped with locking window latches. Common prior art latch designs usually comprise an extendible bolt or a rotatable cam mounted on an inner window that fits into a slot or receiver on an outer window in order to secure a pair of windows together. However, such latch designs suffer from two distinct problems. First, it is necessary to remember to physically close the latch each time the windows are closed in order to be certain that a window is secure. Second, if the window is accidentally moved while the latch is extended or in a locked position, it is possible to scratch the frame of the window or the glass.
To solve these problems, numerous retractable, self-locking window latches have been developed. U.S. Pat. No. 1,037,302 issued to Parent is an example of such a window latch. The latch includes a spring-loaded bolt that remains retracted while the window is open. A specially configured strike releases the bolt when the windows are closed. However, such prior art window latch designs can accidentally be set when the window is open by manipulating the bolt or a handle that moves the bolt, thereby scratching the glass or window frame. Additionally, while such self-locking window latch designs work well for older-style windows, they do not work well for modern window frames. Such windows are designed to have a pair of meeting rails that interlock when the windows are closed to reduce heat or air conditioning loss. Prior art self-locking window latches are not readily adaptable to work with these types of windows. Thus, there is a need for a retractable, self-locking window latch that cannot be accidentally set when the windows are open and work with windows having interlocking meeting rails.